The Ontario Liberal government has introduced Bill 174 - A omnibus piece of legislation with questionable scientific foresight, which groups electronic cigarettes with school bus safety in addition to the sale of cannabis.

The Ontario government appears to be severely restricting the sale of electronic cigarettes in Ontario with their introduction of Bill 174 - Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017, Schedule 3, which proposes that vape shops be prohibited from product display and customers from sampling e-liquid inside vape shops (including but not limited to public places, or workplaces). Bill 174 prohibits the use of vaping devices used anywhere where tobacco is currently prohibited.

The approach the Ontario government has decided to take seems inconsistent with Health Canada's general position that, as a potential less harmful product, vaping should be subject to less stringent promotional restrictions than those applicable to tobacco.

Schedule 3 of this bill also introduces a mechanism for the government to prohibit the sale of certain flavours of vape products through regulation. Given this governments penchant to ban flavoured tobacco products, we should be not surprised to see vaping flavours described as "kid friendly" be swifty prohibitied shortly after this bill is passed.

It is imperative that Schedule 3 of the act be separated from the bill and the merits of the additional prohibition and restrictions on vape products be debated and voted on separate from those enacting the legal sale and distribution of cannabis. As you may be aware, the framework for the legal sale and distribution of cannabis must be in place by July 1st meaning that this bill is most likely to be adopted. Therefore it is up to us to speak out and make sure schedule 3 is separated from the bill.

Please use these tools to help educate your MPP that Schedule 3 must be separated from Bill 174. Take Action below.

Send an e-mail to the Ontario government demanding that Schedule 3 be removed from Bill 174